Junior Lisa Chung tutored 7-year-old Mario at the Pannell
Center as part of the Spanish Skills at Work Program. The effort is intended to provide students with opportunities to
improve their Spanish skills and, at the same time, help the community.

Students hone Spanish skills as community volunteers

Posted November 14, 2005; 03:26 p.m.

by Jennifer Greenstein Altmann

At 10 a.m. on a Saturday in late October, nine
University students took on the role of Spanish instructors at the Henry
Pannell Learning Center on Clay Street in Princeton.

Their pupils ranged in age from 5 to 45. Sophomore Karen Jeng
huddled with a woman who had brought stacks of books with her. Freshman Shivani
Gupta made flashcards with a 5-year-old named Kevin, who later told his mother
that Gupta was his favorite teacher.

The two-hour session was part of a new program called Spanish
Skills at Work, which brings together Spanish students from the University and
members of the community who want to work on their writing and comprehension of
Spanish or who need the help of translators.

“It is very often the case that students can learn more out of the
classroom than in the formal environment of a class, especially in foreign
languages,” said Luisa Duarte-Silva Barry, a lecturer in the Spanish and
Portuguese department who created the program. “I look for opportunities in
which the students can use their Spanish skills while helping the community.
Knowing the language acquires a different meaning once the students are able to
put it to practical use, especially when the circumstances are as rewarding as
helping the community.”

So far the students are reaching out to the community as
translators in the emergency room and the clinic at the University Medical
Center at Princeton, as Saturday morning tutors at the Pannell Center and as
trained volunteers with the Mercer County chapter of the Literacy Volunteers of
America. They also helped out at the World Heart Day festival at the medical
center, where students translated for English-speaking doctors and
Spanish-speaking patients, and were planning to lend their assistance at the health
fair there on Nov. 12. The Pannell Center program is co-sponsored by Community
House.

Gupta got involved with the program because “I love the Spanish
language and I hope to pass this enthusiasm to the kids,” she said. She
anticipates that her volunteer work also will help her improve her Spanish.

Uma Tadepalli, a junior who helped a 10th-grader with subjunctive
verbs at the Pannell Center, found the experience “exhilarating. It tested my
abilities to think on my feet, as we were constantly coming across questions I
wasn’t so sure of the answers to. As they say, the best way to learn is to
teach. I’d say the most rewarding part of my experience so far was knowing that
it was a win-win situation for the tutor and student. The girl I was helping
and I both came out of the experience with a much better understanding of the
subjunctive.”

At the medical center, the
students have translated during general exams, relaying the doctor’s questions
and the diagnosis to the patient. The work is especially challenging, pointed
out sophomore Sarah Maguire, because of the medical terms being used. Maguire,
who is considering a career in medicine, said, “There’s nothing more rewarding
than seeing that my Spanish can be used not only for conversing with people,
but also for helping them live happier, healthier lives.”

“These students’ efforts are making significant contributions to
the community,” said Kiki Jamieson, director of Princeton’s Pace Center, which
focuses on civic engagement. “Providing an opportunity to use and improve
academic skills in the community — in a way that adds value to our neighbors —
is a wonderful example of Princeton’s commitment to academic excellence and
active citizenship.”

Several of the student volunteers are enrolled in one of two
courses taught this semester by Barry, sections of “Advanced Spanish” and
“Studies in Spanish Language and Style” that focus on medical issues. The
classes, intended for students who have a strong interest in the sciences,
increase students’ Spanish proficiency while covering issues such as sending
medical aid to developing countries and the value of cultural diversity in
medicine.

Peyton Thompson, who is taking one of the courses, hopes to become
a doctor. Last month she volunteered to translate for the nurses at a diabetes
screening held at a church in Hights-town with mostly Spanish-speaking members.

“My dream is to start medical clinics in Latin American countries
when I’m a doctor some day,” Thompson said. “So medical Spanish has been a
great class for me, and translating that day was really neat because it’s what
I want to be able to do in the future.”

And the program is helping students realize the power that comes
with being able to communicate with others in their language.

“My parents knew no English when they came to the United States
from Korea 20 years ago, and only last year did I take Korean language classes
to learn their language,” said junior Lisa Chung. “Their English is better than
my Korean, but we will always have communication problems. I think this is why
I’m particularly drawn to help out in language programs such as this one.
Language invites you into a community, but it’s not the easiest thing to
acquire. I’ve had the luxury of having teachers stick by me for the four years
that I’ve been trying to figure out Spanish; surely I can spend an hour on a
Saturday morning to make flashcards with someone who wants to learn how to
count from 1 to 20 in Spanish.”